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ExpeDRY™ is a new chemical free alternative to WR treated hydrophobic down that performs better in real world situations, assists in consumer care and uses 70% fewer resources to produce.The Alpine 850 Nano Hoodie is filled with 60g (Medium) of goose down, which has non-toxic gold particles bonded to it for fast-drying performance and industry-leading warmth. The inert, chemical-free t …

Montane Women’s Alpine 850 Nano Hoodie – with added GOLD!! Jacket tested in a UK12, (Eclipse Blue) weight: 196g The Montane Women’s Alpine 850 Nano Hoodie is a highly thermally efficient, technical down jacket. My first impression of this jacket is the weight - it is extremely light - weighing less than 200g. I have tested this jacket for six months, from late spring, throu …

Sometimes you get an item of clothing that as soon as you put it on it feels right. Montane’s Alpine 850 Nano Down Hoodie for me is one of these. A very lightweight down jacket that for dry days provides plenty of warmth as my outer layer and then gives me a lot of comfort as a middle layer when the rain is falling. As of October 2024, the  Alpine 850 Nano Down Hoodie is the second …

I was delighted when Montane offered an opportunity to test their Cetus Lite jacket several months before its official release. Since May it’s been put through its paces, and I’ve been impressed with the performance. The Cetus Lite is part of Montane’s new Petrichor range. Petrichor is Montane’s name for its own in-house fabric, which has been developed to minimise th …

This has been my go-to jacket for the last 5 months (May to September) and has performed well when needed, either as protection from a sudden summer shower or worn for a full day on the Lakeland fells in low cloud and constant drizzle. This Cetus ‘Lite’ jacket in Deep Forest, size UK12 weighs 290g and packs down pretty small for stashing in a backpack. The Montane 3-layer Pet …

New for the Autumn/winter season from Montane is the Khamsin Softshell. It is a lightly insulated, wind resistant, technical softshell that is perfect for those changeable windy autumn days on the hills. It is made from wind resistant Raptor Flex fabric that is 88% recycled and has excellent four way stretch, making it super comfortable to wear. On the inside it is lined with an Octa fl …

Turbat has carved out a unique niche since its inception in 2014. This Ukrainian brand specialises in lightweight, compact, and versatile gear designed for travellers who prefer to explore with just a 30-litre backpack, regardless of destination. Founded by a group of passionate globetrotters, Turbat was born from first-hand experiences ranging from Namibia to Papua New Guinea. These journeys …

Love for nature and extreme sports is inscribed in the heritage of the Pająk family. It gave rise to the global PAJAK brand, which since 1983 has been constantly developing knowledge and competences to provide all outdoor enthusiasts with professional equipment tested in extreme conditions. PAJAK are from Beskids, where the company and manufacturing factory remains today. From here we se …

Impressively breathable, adaptable and versatile, Xenair is our synthetic insulation collection for mountain ascents. Intelligently body mapping different densities of insulation and air-permeable fabrics, they respond and regulate your temperature. All the garments in the Xenair range have body mapped Primaloft Gold Active+ Insulation in two weights, from the 40g per square metre mapped with …

There are basically three types of synthetic insulation used in outdoor jackets: 1. Sheet Insulation – Fibres are woven into a ‘mat’ structure and this is used to fill the jacket, this is the ‘traditional’ way of doing this and provides excellent warmth to weight and is pretty durable. 2. Loose Fill Insulation – This is where synthetic fibr …

I have to admit that this review is a tad late. In my defence, I was waiting for some appropriately cold weather to test the jacket; thankfully, November has arrived and brought some wintry conditions. Montane has brought two new down jackets to the market this season: the Alpine 850 Lite Down Hoodie, and the jacket I have been testing, the Alpine 850 Down Hoodie. The lat …

Picking a waterproof shell jacket can make your head spin. The lightest jackets will be ideal to keep pack weight at a minimum, but how will they hold up when used under a backpacking rucksack with several days of food? This was the conundrum when deciding on a jacket to use for the TGO Challenge. It needed to offer dependable protection for a crossing of the mountains of Scotland in May but also …